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Show Don’t Tell Worksheet

Creative writing lesson 10: Show, don’t tell · Set 786 · 40 questions
TalentJR

Writer's tip (Show the actions): A telling sentence names the feeling: was sad, felt tired. A showing sentence describes actions, faces and bodies: tears, yawns, shaking knees. Pick the showing sentence that fits the right feeling.

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  1. 1.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Simran rubbed her hands and blew on her fingers.”     (a) cold (b) bored (c) angry
  2. 2.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Aryan is angry? (a) Aryan was angry. (b) Aryan folded his arms and glared at his brother. (c) Aryan hummed a tune and could not stop smiling.
  3. 3.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Joseph was scared.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  4. 4.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Simran is happy? (a) Simran beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (b) Tears filled Simran’s eyes, and she stared at the floor. (c) Simran was happy.
  5. 5.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Neel is scared? (a) Neel’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet. (b) Neel folded his arms and glared at his brother. (c) Neel was scared.
  6. 6.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ishaan gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.”     (a) hungry (b) scared (c) sad
  7. 7.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is cold? (a) Dev was cold. (b) Dev shivered and stamped his feet in the snow. (c) Dev grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.
  8. 8.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Pooja threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!””     (a) showing (b) telling
  9. 9.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Priya is sad? (a) Priya was sad. (b) Priya gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut. (c) Priya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  10. 10.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Sahil licked his lips as the smell of dosas drifted in.”     (a) hungry (b) happy (c) bored
  11. 11.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is hungry? (a) Dev was hungry. (b) Dev kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch. (c) Dev dragged his feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.
  12. 12.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Simran is bored? (a) Simran dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed. (b) Simran sighed and flipped through the same comic again. (c) Simran was bored.
  13. 13.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Kavya is cold? (a) Kavya threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!” (b) Kavya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow. (c) Kavya was cold.
  14. 14.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Dev is hungry? (a) Dev’s knees shook, and he hid behind the door. (b) Dev gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping. (c) Dev was hungry.
  15. 15.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Pooja’s teeth chattered, and she pulled her shawl tighter.”     (a) hungry (b) angry (c) cold
  16. 16.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Fatima counted the ceiling fans for the tenth time.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) sad
  17. 17.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi’s heart thumped, and she hid under the sheet.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  18. 18.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Saanvi was really hungry.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  19. 19.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kabir was really bored.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  20. 20.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Meera folded her arms and glared at her brother.”     (a) sad (b) hungry (c) angry
  21. 21.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Manav is scared? (a) Manav was scared. (b) Manav sat alone, hugging his knees and sniffing. (c) Manav’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.
  22. 22.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Riya rubbed her eyes and nodded off on the sofa.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) tired
  23. 23.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Priya dragged her feet upstairs and flopped on the bed.”     (a) sad (b) happy (c) tired
  24. 24.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Joseph grinned from ear to ear and skipped down the road.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  25. 25.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Meera beamed and hugged everyone in sight.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  26. 26.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Simran is cold? (a) Simran’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap. (b) Simran gripped Mum’s hand and squeezed her eyes shut. (c) Simran was cold.
  27. 27.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Nisha laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.”     (a) hungry (b) happy (c) sad
  28. 28.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Imran kicked a pebble round and round the empty yard.”     (a) happy (b) bored (c) cold
  29. 29.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Kavya felt very tired.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  30. 30.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Ananya sighed and flipped through the same comic again.”     (a) bored (b) cold (c) hungry
  31. 31.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Arjun is happy? (a) Arjun beamed and hugged everyone in sight. (b) Arjun was happy. (c) Arjun drummed his fingers and stared at the clock.
  32. 32.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ananya’s tummy rumbled loudly in the middle of class.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  33. 33.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sahil was happy.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  34. 34.Which sentence SHOWS (without telling) that Farhan is happy? (a) Farhan was happy. (b) Farhan laughed, clapped and twirled around the room. (c) Farhan’s eyelids drooped, and he yawned again and again.
  35. 35.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Diya felt very tired.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  36. 36.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Sahil was scared.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  37. 37.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Ananya was really bored.”     (a) showing (b) telling
  38. 38.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Rohan felt very tired.”     (a) telling (b) showing
  39. 39.Is this sentence showing or telling?
    “Farhan threw down the pencil and shouted, “Not fair!””     (a) telling (b) showing
  40. 40.Which feeling does this sentence show?
    “Diya’s knees shook, and she hid behind the door.”     (a) bored (b) scared (c) hungry

Answer key

  1. cold
  2. Aryan folded his arms and glared at his brother.
  3. telling
  4. Simran beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  5. Neel’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.
  6. hungry
  7. Dev shivered and stamped his feet in the snow.
  8. showing
  9. Priya sat alone, hugging her knees and sniffing.
  10. hungry
  11. Dev kept peeping into the kitchen for lunch.
  12. Simran sighed and flipped through the same comic again.
  13. Kavya shivered and stamped her feet in the snow.
  14. Dev gobbled the rice and asked for a second helping.
  15. cold
  16. bored
  17. showing
  18. telling
  19. telling
  20. angry
  21. Manav’s heart thumped, and he hid under the sheet.
  22. tired
  23. tired
  24. showing
  25. showing
  26. Simran’s nose turned pink, and she pulled on a woolly cap.
  27. happy
  28. bored
  29. telling
  30. bored
  31. Arjun beamed and hugged everyone in sight.
  32. showing
  33. telling
  34. Farhan laughed, clapped and twirled around the room.
  35. telling
  36. telling
  37. telling
  38. telling
  39. showing
  40. scared

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